Just a Dream
by LauraLarua
Summary: Fang/Vanille. While camping on Gran Pulse, Fang has a bad dream about Vanille and wakes up anxious to redefine their relationship before it's too late.


Just a dream

—

It was just a dream but it felt real.

It was about Vanille. She was wandering through a gloomy forest in the dead of night and something was wrong. She was frowning and she kept glancing back over her shoulder. As if she was being followed but that wasn't it. She was wandering and after a while she started running. Something was happening. She was running and her brand was glowing. She was turning Cei'th. She ran but she couldn't out run it. She came to a clearing where the stars shimmered on the surface of a black pond and here she paused. She collapsed at the bank of the pond and watched her trembling reflection. Her eyelashes crystallized and flaked away. Her pigtails clumped into crystal spikes. Her eyes were wide and full of fear and she opened her mouth to scream but it was too late. A blinding light emanated from her brand and suddenly Vanille was gone. In her place rose a creature on crystal hoofs, huge and malformed. It staggered backwards, fending with it's claws. It swung it's head grotesquely from side to side and it raised it's face to the nightsky and let out a low moan. Then it loped away into the forest.

Fang woke with a gasp. She was laying on her back and all she could see was the stars. At first her mind was blank but then the dream came back to her and suddenly she rolled over and reached for the sleeping form at her side. She reached under the blanket and touched her. Warmth. Softness. She was still Vanille.

"Everything okay?"

Lightning's voice. Fang rolled back and saw the woman sitting on a rock by the fire. They'd camped on the steppe and they'd decided to keep a constant lookout. There were lots of dangers monsters on Gran Pulse. Fang sat up and nodded. "Bad dream," she said. "I'm okay."

Lightning didn't probe. She had a stick in her hand and she used it to tousle the embers of the fire.

"What's the time?" Fang asked.

Lightning looked at her watch. "0320 hours," she said.

Fang sighed again and looked around at their campsite. Everyone was sleeping, vague mounds under their blankets. A light snoring. She looked at Vanille. The girl slept on her side and her face glowed faintly in the orange firelight. Fang turned back to Lightning.

"Want me to take over the watch so you can get some sleep?"

"I can handle it."

Fang tossed aside her blanket and rose to her feet. "Don't be difficult, Light. Go to bed, I'll take over."

"You sure?"

Fang took a seat beside her on the rock and took the stick from her hands. She poked at the fire. "Yeah," she said. "I'm not going back to sleep."

Lighting hesitated. Fang kept her eyes on the fire. Finally Lightning just nodded and rose and went off to make her bed.

It was a cold night. A wind was coming down out of the canyon to the north and the flames were dancing. The embers pulsed in the breeze, glowing and dimming like a heartbeat, and Fang stared, the dream replaying in her head. It felt so real. The terror. Vanille's terror. Soon the fire began to die down. Fang piled more wood on top and built it back up. Then she sat on the rock and looked past the flames at where Vanille slept. She looked so pretty when she was asleep. So innocent. While she was watching the girl stirred. Her eyes fluttered open and she sat up slowly.

"Fang?"

"I'm over here."

Vanille looked over at her and smiled. Her eyes were sleepy and her russet hair was mussed. "Oh," she said. "I didn't see you."

"It's my turn to lookout," Fang said. "Go back to sleep."

But Vanille didn't listen. She rose with her blanket and came over to Fang. She sat on the rock beside her and wrapped the blanket around them both. Fang felt the warmth close around her instantly. Vanille shuffled closer and rested her head on Fang's shoulder. She watched the fire.

"Go back to bed, Vanille," Fang whispered.

"It's okay," Vanille said. "I'll keep you company for a bit."

Fang sighed and put an arm around her. She was soft and sleepwarm. They sat there on the rock, huddled under their blanket, watching the fire.

"Fang?"

"Mm?"

"Do you think everything will be okay?"

"Of course it will be. I'll never let anything happen to you, you know that."

"I know," Vanille said. "It's everyone else I'm worried about."

Fang placed a kiss on her head. "Don't worry about it okay? Everything will be fine."

They fell silent. The moon was big and bright, cradled in the black gap of the mountains to the west. The stars clustered in the blackness overhead twinkled like diamonds and the wind carried with it a lonely whistle.

"You should get some sleep," Fang said.

Vanille shook her head. "I'll go back to bed when you do."

"My watch is three hours. And technically it hasn't even started yet."

"Why are you up early?"

"I had a bad dream."

"Oh you poor thing." Vanille pulled back to look into Fang's face. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Fang smiled. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Maybe it'll help."

"I'm fine, Vanille."

Vanille looked at her. Then she wrapped Fang into a tight hug and settled back into Fang's arms. They fell silent again, huddled under the blanket. Vanille's eyes were drifting closed. Fang was staring into the fire. She glanced at the girl sideways.

"Vanille…?"

"Mm?"

"There is something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Okay."

"It's about our relationship."

Vanille's eyes opened. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Maybe this isn't the right time," Fang whispered. "But maybe it's the only time."

Vanille pulled back and looked at Fang. The blanket drooped. She didn't look sleepy anymore.

"The thing is," Fang said. "Ever since we came out of stasis… my feelings for you have changed."

Vanille didn't reply.

"We were always good friends," Fang said. "Sisters, almost. But now… Now it's like I can't live without you. And I'm terrified of losing you." She paused. Then she whispered: "Something's changed."

"Fang…"

"When we got separated at Euride, I literally thought I was going to die. Without you, I…"

"Oh Fang. I never wanted to leave you."

"I know. I never really blamed you, anyway. You have a noble soul. It's just like you to sacrifice yourself so that no one else'll get hurt."

"That wasn't the only reason I joined the purge."

"It wasn't?"

"No. I did it for you."

"For me?"

"Yes. Because you're brand was inactive. I thought… I thought if I just disappeared… then you wouldn't have to attack the Fal'cie anymore. And maybe you'd move on. And forget me. And live happily someday."

"Vanille…"

"I didn't think you'd come chase me."

"Then you obviously have no idea how much I really love you."

"I'm sorry, Fang."

"It's okay. I forgave you a long time ago."

They fell silent again and Vanille snuggled against Fang. The wind blew. The fire dipped low across the ground, it rose again.

"I never knew you felt like this," Vanille whispered. "I don't know what to say."

"Just tell me if I have a chance."

"Of course you do, Fang. I've never loved anyone like I love you."

"Simple as that?"

"I think so. Because you're right. Something _has _changed. I feel it too."

"You don't know how happy I am to hear that. I thought…"

"Thought what?"

"That you'd want to stay just friends."

"Friend, sister, it doesn't matter. All I've ever wanted is you, Fang."

Fang took Vanille's hand. They entwined their fingers.

"Maybe this is just a dream," Fang said. "You weren't supposed to be this easy."

"Then maybe you're the one who has no idea how much _I_ really love _you_," Vanille said. "And I do love you, Fang. Very much."

They smiled. They kissed. They pulled the blanket around themselves and cuddled by the fire. All around them their companions were sleeping. Lightning lay with her back to the fire but she hadn't fallen asleep yet and she'd heard everything.

—

By morning the wind had died but the fire was still smoldering. The sun lay low and bright in the east and birds were chirping in the trees. Lightning was sitting on the rock sharpening her gunblade with a whetstone. She held the blade in her lap and passed the stone over it's edge.

The sound of it woke Hope. He sat up in his blanket and squinted at the day.

"Hey," Lightning said. "Snow and Sazh are at the stream getting water. Wanna go fetch some more firewood?"

Hope yawned and nodded. "Okay."

He stood up and stretched. The only two people still sleeping were Fang and Vanille and they were snuggled up together under the same blanket. The girl had her head resting on the woman's shoulder and when Hope saw them an uneasy grin crossed his face. He turned to Lightning.

"Those two are really close, aren't they?"

Lightning went on polishing her gunblade. "They are what they are," she said.


End file.
